We celebrate the impact of the Ƶ leads Campaign, which concluded Dec. 31, 2022, raising a historic $260 million.
The Ƶ LEADS Campaign has forever changed the trajectory of Ƶ, thanks to a record $260 million in philanthropic contributions that created hundreds of new scholarships, increased access to engaged learning opportunities, strengthened support for faculty and staff mentors and added eight new facilities to Ƶ’s iconic campus.
President Connie Ledoux Book announced the successful completion of the campaign, which was the largest fundraising effort in Ƶ history. “We are grateful to the 34,000 donors to Ƶ LEADS who believe deeply in investing in Ƶ students and our bright future,” Book said. “These historic investments in an Ƶ education will continue to fuel excellence and our national rise in the decades ahead.”
The success of Ƶ LEADS means the university is well-positioned to meet future priorities, including a multiyear initiative that is underway to equip students, faculty and staff with the skills to be effective mentors and for students to receive that mentoring, and a major new initiative focused on the health and well-being of the entire campus community. The university will also continue to make increasing funding for student scholarships and financial aid a top priority to allow Ƶ to attract the finest community of learners every year.
The public phase of Ƶ LEADS was announced in April 2019. The campaign concluded on Dec. 31, 2022, exceeding the $250 million goal. The university’s previous campaign, Ever Ƶ, ended in 2011 raising $107.3 million.
“These historic investments in an Ƶ education will continue to fuel excellence and our national rise in the decades ahead.” — Connie Ledoux Book, president
“Ƶ’s culture of philanthropy has never been stronger thanks to the leadership of thousands of alumni, parents and friends whose inspired investments in this campaign are changing lives,” said James B. Piatt Jr., vice president for university advancement. “The success of Ƶ LEADS has provided transformational support for Ƶ students, faculty and staff, and our campus.”
The success of Ƶ LEADS was the result of the collective impact of gifts from throughout the Ƶ donor community, including endowed and annual gifts, estate commitments and capital gifts.
Among the highlights of the campaign was the largest single endowment gift ever
received by the university.
The Williams family, including Ƶ Trustee William (Lee) Williams III and Dr. Randall Williams and his wife, Elizabeth, made a $10 million gift to endow the Dr. Jo Watts Williams School of Education in honor of their mother, a beloved 1955 Ƶ graduate who was connected to her alma mater as an educator and administrator for more than 75 years.
The endowment supports multiple initiatives across the university involving students, faculty, administrators and the university’s community partnerships, and establishes 20 scholarships in the Odyssey Program, which serves students with high financial need, including many who are the first in their families to attend college.
